Government Weather Data Are So Accurate

We have had drenching rains in the southwest Montana valleys the last day or so and much welcomed accretion to snow packs at elevation. Here is the southerly ridge view locally at Bridger Bowl this morning. 

I wanted to know just how much rainfall we have had so I looked to the National Weather Service report.

ASUS65 KTFX 171545
 RTPMT 
 MAX/MIN TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION TABLE FOR MONTANA...UPDATED
 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
 945 AM MDT SUN MAY 17 2015
 
 ...FULL TIME STATIONS...
 HIGH TEMP YESTERDAY. 12 HOUR LOW TEMPERATURE...24 HOUR
 PRECIPITATION AND SNOWFALL...AND SNOW DEPTH AT 6 AM MDT.
 STATIONS ARE AUTOMATED AND MAY UNDERESTIMATE WINTER PRECIPITATION.
  
 .BR TFX 0517 M DH01/TAIRZX/DH06/TAIRZP/PPDRZZ/SFDRZZ/SDIRZZ
 :                                       YDAY 12-HR 24-HR  24-HR  SNOW
 :ID    STATION          ELEV            HIGH  LOW   PCPN   SNFL DEPTH
 BHK  : BAKER MUNI APT   2929 :           71 /  48 / 0.05 /      /    
 BIL  : BILLINGS LOGAN   3567 :           61 /  43 / 0.29 /      /   M
 BZN  : BOZEMAN YELL APT 4475 :           50 /  40 / 0.34 /      /   0
 BTM  : BUTTE MOONEY APT 5700 :           45 /  38 / 0.44 /      /
 CTB  : CUT BANK MUNI AP 3838 :           51 /  36 / 0.71 /      /   0
 DLN  : DILLON AIRPORT   5200 :           47 /  39 / 0.79 /      /   0
 GGW  : GLASGOW WOKAL AP 2285 :           51 /  45 / 0.60 /  0.0 /   0
 GDV  : GLENDIVE AIRPORT 2457 :           64 /  46 / 0.53 /      /    
 GTF  : GREAT FALLS APT  3664 :           47 /  41 / 1.25 /  0.0 /   0
 HVR  : HAVRE AIRPORT    2585 :           52 /  41 / 0.72 /  0.0 /   0
 HLN  : HELENA AIRPORT   3828 :           49 /  43 / 0.80 /  0.0 /   0
 JDN  : JORDAN AIRPORT   2662 :           55 /  46 / 0.63 /      /    
 GPI  : KALISPELL GLAC   1865 :           66 /  47 /    T /    M /   M
 LWT  : LEWISTOWN APT    4145 :           49 /  42 / 1.01 /      /   0
 LVM  : LIVINGSTON APT   4653 :           55 /  40 / 0.72 /  0.0 /   0
 MLS  : MILES CITY APT   2628 :           68 /  48 / 0.07 /      /
 MSO  : MISSOULA AIRPORT 3202 :           58 /  45 / 0.00 /  0.0 /   0
 SDY  : SIDNEY AIRPORT   1985 :           59 /  46 / 0.76 /      /    
 OLF  : WOLF POINT APT   1980 :           56 /  45 / 0.94 /      /  

According to the vaunted United States Weather Service the 24 hour rainfall through 0945 this morning at Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport was 0.34 inches. Oh hell. During the time alone that we shivered through the lacrosse game last night we got that much rain. Anyone who has stuck their head outside during the last 24 hours knows that the Weather Service reading is aburd.

Then I looked at the rainfall reports for the amateur stations around town. 

 BOZEMAN AGRIMET               08 AM SUN     1.03    
   BOZEMAN WHEATLAND WU          12 AM SUN     0.17    
   BOZEMAN BAXTER MEADOWS WU     12 AM SUN     1.59    
   BOZEMAN S COTTONWOOD WU       12 AM SUN     0.13    
   BOZEMAN GAMTRELL 10ESE DNET   09 AM SUN     1.17    
   BOZEMAN TAYABOSHOCK 3SE DNET  09 AM SUN     0.95    
   BOZEMAN BRIDGER MOUNTAIN 6NE  09 AM SUN     0.96    
   BOZEMAN 1SSE MSU WU           08 AM SUN     1.36    
   BOZEMAN HYALIT 6SW WU         09 AM SUN     1.08    
   BOZEMAN TAYABESHOCKUP 3SE WU  09 AM SUN     1.02    
   BOZEMAN WHEATLAND WU          09 AM SUN     1.04    
   BZN SCOTTONWOOD WU            09 AM SUN     0.62    
   BOZEMAN WHEATLAND WU          09 AM SUN     1.04    
   BOZEMAN ROUSE WU              09 AM SUN     1.12    
   BOZEMAN BON TON WU            09 AM SUN     1.08    
   BOZEMAN FG WU                 09 AM SUN     0.83    
   BOZEMAN S BLACK 4.1WSW WU     09 AM SUN     0.87 

A couple of stations have readings that are obviously in error. But the Tayebeshockup station, which is a mile or so up the road from us, measured rainfall of 1.02 inches. Baxter Meadows which is out towards the airport, rings in at 1.59 inches. For our area, which averages about 16 inches of precipitation annually, those are very significant rain totals.

Here is what the Billings Gazette reported locally. 

Steady precipitation since Friday dropped over an inch of water on Billings and set a daily record for rainfall in Livingston.

The National Weather Service office in Billings logged a daily rainfall total of 1.32 inches in Livingston for Saturday, shattering the old record of .74 inches set on May 16, 1977, Meteorologist Brian Tesar said.

The precipitation from the three-day storm was heaviest in the Yellowstone Valley area.

“Generally, the heaviest rainfall fell from Livingston to Park City,” Tesar said

By Sunday afternoon, Friday’s storm had dropped 4 inches of rain in Reed Point and 3.1 inches near Greyclff..

In Billings, totals ranged from 1.13 to 1.74 inches. Big Timber received 2.68 inches of rain, 1.8 inches fell in Red Lodge and Ryegate got 1.73 inches.: http://billingsgazette.com/news/local/record-breaking-rain-in-livingston-saturday-clouds-to-break-on/article_61df8aa7-50dc-5d27-b6be-09eedb971d75.html#ixzz3aS7PqvU7

Let's hear it for NOAA. Welcome to systemic bias. The United States government is thy name.